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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. drill — army training
  4. rule — a law
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. drill — the tool
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rule — government
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com